IWP Recon Kagome
by M 'n' Ms
Summary: I.W.P.R. The legendary inter-world police force. Kagome and a few others at her elite school are chosen to join the best of the elite. Getting in is easy, staying in is hard.
1. Part 1: Chapter 1

_**Feel the power of the beat  
**__Succumb to the sound__**  
**__Of freedom lying in__**  
**__Your fingert—_

"Souta! Turn the darn thing off!" Kagome Higurashi yelled, throwing a shoe at her younger brother, only to have it hit an invisible shield that Souta had raised upon will. Weak, but effective, it had shattered after throwing the shoe back in her direction. Shoot…I was the one who taught him how to do that, Kagome mentally cursed. Sometimes I just want to smack myself.

She coolly placed her hands in front of her, caught the shoe in midair before it touched her, then, with a single sweeping motion of her fingers, threw it onto the shoe rack—only to have it knock all the other shoes over. Dress shoes, casual shoes, cleats in all sorts of sizes and colors tumbled down from the skimpy wire frame.

"Oops…" Kagome winced. Mama's gonna kill me!

"Nee-chan! You knocked the shoe ra—mph! Mm-mm, pffffffft!" his voice became muffled as the dark-haired teenager placed her hand over his mouth. Behind him, the program about the legendary I.W. P. Recons blared on the wall.

"Ne, Souta."

"Fffffwht?"

"If you clean all this up, I'll get Sango-chan to teach you to make your own boomerang, okay?" Bribery, you gotta love it, Kagome cackled with glee—mentally, not aloud, of course. Souta would kill her if she said it aloud.

"Ohfkayf."

Smoky-blue eyes [A/N: Yes, I know her eyes changed to brown in the anime, but here it's gonna be smoky-blue] held contact with her brother's darker blue eyes, then she nodded, releasing him.

"I'm going to school now, Souta. Bye-bye," she called, carelessly lifting her silver laptop into the air as she rushed around, getting her dinner, taking a snack, grabbing some notes for Class 2 and 3, and sifting through the mountain of shoes for her pair. Dressed in the school uniform of skin-tight black capris, air-shoes (designed just for school), and a shirt of her own choice—stormy-gray and long-sleeved (due to the complaints of the students that red and black just _did not go_ when they wore it), she tucked her silver laptop under her arm, and skipped out of the doorway.

"Bye, Nee-chan!" Souta was already attempting to sort through the shoes. Kagome could practically see him stroking his goatee as he observed the mess gravely.

Lucky Souta, she thought. He's already done with school for today.

School in the fiftieth century was very different from, say, three millennia beforehand. Since many humans nowadays could use psionic powers—the legendary mental exercises—they had set up schools to properly teach them to use and respect those powers. There were about one thousand psions in Japan, Kagome and the rest of her family being three of those.

Psions, no matter how little gifted, went to the Lower Middle Schools when they were twelve, Higher Middle Schools when they were fifteen—if they passed, and High School when they were nineteen—if they passed. Regular students went through seven years of Elementary school, totaling fourteen years of education compared to the twelve years twentieth century. This was because each school year was now 216 days—twice the amount it was before. Then the regulars would do what help they could for their community, little, regular jobs like secretarial work, or babysitting. Psions worked as architects (usually five per company), or anything else they wanted. Psions were well respected.

However…there was a downside to all this. School, obviously, but school for psions that made it to Higher Middle and High School was from four o' clock to eleven o' clock—not something a teenager could possibly be happy about. Parents were happy, though. It cut down on how often their children went on wild parties and dates.

Sighing and muttering obscenities under her breath about how _bad_ school was, Kagome hopped into her 'tube, quickly typed in _Destination: Kyoto Psionic Schools for the Gifted, Higher Middle, _then settled back for a half-hour nap. Invented by Gilbert S. Hickley in 4089, Kagome considered the heliotube to be the greatest thing since bread. Powered by the sun, they ran across narrow strips of metal wrapped in plastic (odd, really, what these scientists think up) that crisscrossed throughout the world—Earth, it was originally called. Now most people call it Home Planet, since the human species now had colonies spread all over the galaxy. Shaped like a half-sphere, Kagome's was given to her for her last birthday, and only seated two—maybe three, if they were both thin and lightweight. Her mother had paid extra to have it go to places like the school and mall on autopilot.

Kagome woke with a start when the 'tube slowed down and uttered a gentle, but monotonous, beeping sound. Rubbing her eyes blearily, she got up and sent the 'tube back home by pushing the blinking red button on front—she could use the school 'tubes to get back. Stretching, she sighed for the second time that day, then turned around to face her school. Eight simple words were floating, rotating gently on the school ceiling—Kyoto Psionic Higher Middle School for the Gifted. Kagome snorted. From eight o' clock to three, it was just plain "Kyoto Elementary School." Simple, plain, and unbearably dull.

Of course, Higher Middle School was anything but dull—unless you counted Class 2: Important Customs Throughout the Universe, taught by Myôga-sensei, and the ten minute morning ritual that all psionic schools had to go through of "release your mind, let it flow freely, do not rush, do not hurry, let all emotions gliiiiiide away."

Sometimes, you could just hate school with a vengeance.

Speaking of the morning ritual…

Oh _shoot._

Kagome sprinted through the doors, opened her empty locker (number 1500), and dumped her laptop unceremoniously through the narrow slit. Racing the wind through the labyrinth of halls and corridors, she just made it to the auditorium, gasping for breath and clutching the stitch in her side.

"Kagome-chan!" A girl in a pink—bordering on red—shirt with matching mascara over magenta eyes [A/N: Think manga, people! Manga!] waved energetically, long, raven-black tresses pulled back into a neat ponytail.

"S-an-go-chan," Kagome wheezed, collapsing into an undignified heap in front of her friend. She laughed.

"Kagome-chan, I thought you weren't going to come, you were so late," Sango teased, eyes dancing merrily.

Taijiya Sango was both revered and feared by the boys of the school. Stay on her good side, they warned any new guys, for if you get on her bad side:

_ Smack! _After the first few months in Lower Middle sporting red handprints across their cheeks, or black eyes, they learned that Taijiya Sango was not one to mess with.

Sango was stronger than most from training with her demon-hunting clan, thus named the _taijiya_, she could easily lift a hundred pounds, and it took nearly triple that weight to tire her out. She was one of only five in her hundred-person clan that was a psion, and therefore her status was elevated to nearly worship by the younger taijiya clan-members. Kohaku, her younger brother, was also a promising psion, though his powers hadn't been fully recognized yet.

"Children! Chiiiildren!" Hikari Yura, vice-principal, was a scantily clad woman that was frowned upon by most parents. Only twenty-two, she was an extremely powerful psion, and her age allowed girls of the school to talk to her with confidence. They all liked her, though she was a little bit obsessed with the French, and hair.

A few whistles rose from impertinent boys at her appearance. She mock-glared at them, then let the strings fly—or hair. Boys shot up into the air, held in her mental grasp.

"Now, now, boys. That's no way to treat your betters," she called out in a sugary-sweet voice. Cheers rose from most of the girls, a couple of boos from the boys' friends.

"Yes, Vice-Principal Hikari," they muttered sullenly.

"Good boys," she beamed, clapping her hands together once, twice…and the boys plummeted downwards, managing to catch themselves in time before they were killed.

"Now, children, let's start with sitting down and clearing our minds…"

Kagome groaned. It was going to be a looooooong day….

_4:10-6:10, Class 1: Self-Defense Mental/Physical, Teacher: Toutousai _

Shouts mingled with the harsh screech of metal hitting metal met Kagome's ears as she walked into her first class. Class 1 was among her favorite classes, not having to work or study, just plain old exercising and beating each other's brains out. Of course, dear, little Kagome wasn't violent in the least, oh no, she just had to learn this for her own good.

Not looking, she crashed into the back of an unsuspecting student.

"Oh, sorry," she apologized.

The student—a boy—glared at her, then turned around, cheering now and then, "Go! Hit him hard!"

Huh, what's going on? Kagome wondered.

"Excuse me…pardon me…let me through…" Students grumbled as she pushed through them until she was at the very front, the only position where she could see because of her height.

In the center of the room was an inu-hanyou and a human boy, fighting. The hanyou held a rusted, banged-up katana in his claws, and the human had a highly polished and sharpened golden monk's staff.

What was the world coming to?

Growling, the hanyou's cute inu-ears twitched in annoyance, and his fangs were just peeking through the corner of his mouth. "Bouzu!" he hissed. "Call off your 'fans,' why doncha?"

With a shock, Kagome realized who the "bouzu" was. Kazaana Miroku, a known player throughout the school, with his short ponytail, violet mischievous eyes, and a tongue of gold, he could easily charm most of the girls in the school. She knew him well, since his current flavor-of-the-week was her best friend, Sango. The week before, it had been her, until Sango had bashed his head in with Hiraikotsu, her giant boomerang. Then he had turned all his charm to Sango…he was often seen with a large red handprint on his left cheek.

"Stop. Inuyasha Kudo, who gave you permission to practice before school?" A full inu-youkai stepped out from a door on the left, nonchalant.

"Sesshoumaru? What the hell are you doing here?" the hanyou—presumably Inuyasha—snarled. The two combatants were shocked out of their game.

"Three points off your grade and a detention for cursing at the substitute. Just because you've just transferred to this school doesn't mean you can talk back to the teachers," Sesshoumaru observed, marking it down onto the ceiling.

Eh? Where's Toutousai-sensei?

"Toutousai won't be here for the next week, I'm afraid," Sesshoumaru didn't sound as if he felt any sympathy. "He's out making a new sword, apparently. I will be your substitute for today."

"What?! You bas—"

"Ten points off."

Inuyasha growled.

"Let's start off with some stretches, class. By the way, Inuyasha—did you skip the morning ritual?"

"Keh! So what if I did?"

"Another ten points off for your cheek and for missing an important cycle of your daily life."

Kagome could see that Inuyasha was mad. Heck, it was obvious to everybody in the classroom! The only one who probably didn't notice was Sashimi Hojo [A/N: Hohohoho! Sashimi!! Aha—never mind.], an incredibly dense boy with dark blonde hair.

"Class, sit down in a straddle position and bend forward as far as you can go. Count to ten…"

After stretching for about fifteen minutes, Sesshoumaru finally declared them worthy of practicing self-defense.

"Today, we will practice physical self-defense, and tomorrow mental. Everybody will group up in the pairs that I will assign you to. Kazaana, Kudo. Sashimi, Sonomi. Kinomoto, Matsumoto. Mihara, Sasaki. Takashi, Asuka. Ryuusaki, Shudo. Higurashi, Haneoka. You will compete in hand-to-hand combat, no weapons. Winner of each round will be paired up with another winner, and loser with loser. Begin."

Kagome slid into a fighting stance, facing a boy with auburn hair and merry hazel eyes.

"The famous Higurashi Kagome. I'm honored," the boy mock-bowed. "I am Haneoka Shinichiro, probably around your level of expertise, and—"

"Fight, don't flirt." Sesshoumaru glared at the trembling mass of jelly that was once Haneoka. "'Begin,' I said, and 'begin' I meant."

"Hai, Sesshoumaru-s-sensei." You had to feel sorry for the poor kid.

"Continue."

The two faced each other, eyes set and determined. Haneoka suddenly disappeared and reappeared at Kagome's said. She blocked the blows toward her middle, then caught his fist and flung him neatly over her. He refused to let go and threw her over. Landing nimbly on her feet, she spun and kicked at his wrist, causing him to let go. She landed a punch in his gut, then quickly sidestepped to avoid a blow, grasped both his hands in hers, then slammed him down onto the mat. Brushing a lock of hair out of her eyes, she observed the other fights.

Inuyasha and Miroku were still fighting, smoothly evading each blow the other caused, and failing in their own. Neither seemed tired out. All around her, groups were finishing up, each with a victor. Shudo had beaten Ryuusaki—they were best friends and knew each other's moves like the back of their hands. However, Shudo had been trained since she was five, and was more skilful. Poor Hojo had been beaten by Sonomi, a brown-haired girl that wasn't really athletic, but could pack a mean punch.

"Higurashi, you will go against Shudo." Kagome jumped. She hadn't noticed Sesshoumaru behind her.

"Hai, sensei."

One by one, Kagome beat her opponents, until she was almost the emerging victor of the class. _Almost. _One group still hadn't gotten past their first battle. Inuyasha and Miroku were still going at it hard, never seeming to gain the upper hand.

"Higurashi, go give my half-brother a hand, will you? Stop the two of them from killing each other. Knock them out if you have to.

Half-brother? Oh, right, she mused. Sesshoumaru-sensei and Inuyasha were both inu-youkai, both with thick, silver hair, and were also about the same height.

Well, at least she knew for sure that Miroku could not possibly be Sesshoumaru-sensei's half-brother. He was human.

Kagome crept up to the fighting pair, then appeared while they were both about to punch each other.

"Time to stop now!" she squealed, catching their fists and then pushing them away. Miroku nearly fell, but the hanyou stood firm.

"Bitch! Watch what you're doing!" Inuyasha roared.

She frowned. He was clearly lacking in the manners department.

"Get out of my way! Let me finish the bouzu!"

Sighing, she rubbed her temple. "I guess this is where I knock them out," she muttered under her breath."

Inuyasha froze, ears twitching. His face was comical, the slack jaw, the stunned eyes. Even Sesshoumaru had to suppress a smile. Finally:

"Whaaaaaaaat?! Bitch, repeat that!"

He spun around and grabbed her wrist before she could get away. Pulling her closer so that they were mere inches away from each other, he hissed, "What did you just say?"

"Nothing of importance," Kagome smiled sweetly up at him.

"Liar!"

"I'm not a liar! It's _not_ important!"

"Yes, you are, you conniving sneak!"

"What? Say that again!"

Inuyasha and Kagome were practically nose-to-nose by now, he had finally released her, and her hands were on her hips, eyes glaring, boring holes into his.

Only one thought was in their minds:

_Must kill._

Lunging towards each other, they dodged each other's blows, struggling for the upper hand. On the sidelines, Miroku scratched his head. "Was there something I missed?" he wondered.

Inuyasha feinted a punch towards Kagome's left, she took it, then suffered from a shock of surprise when he grabbed her by the shoulder and threw her over him. She flipped and twisted in the air, lightly landing on her feet, then ran and did a smooth half-front walkover [A/N: not sure what it's called—basically she just jumps and lands on her hands with a lot of momentum], pushed off her hands, then landed neatly on his shoulders. Her fingers were buried in his soft hair, had legs lightly wrapped around his neck. Blue eyes gravely observed the twitching triangles below. She couldn't resist…

_ Inu-ears! I want to touch them…_

She reached out, then lightly rubbed the base of the velveteen ears. They were warm, and twitched at the contact. Around them, they class and Sesshoumaru stood silent, transfixed. Grasping them firmly, she tweaked them. Inuyasha's eyes were dreamy and distant, his frame relaxed. Unaware of his half-brother smirking on the sidelines and his new classmates holding their breaths, he purred softly as the gentle fingers tweaked his ears.

_ Awwwwwww…kawaii!_

"Inuyasha, have you forfeited?"

Inuyasha came back from la-la-land with a start. What…?

He felt a weight on his shoulders. "Bitch…"

"Higurashi is the winner. Class dismissed."

Kagome leapt down from the considerable height [A/N: He's head and shoulders over her, people! That's gotta be about a foot!], laughing nervously.

"Ah, eh-heh-heh-heh…bye?" She sped away, not waiting for an answer.

"Wait a moment, bitch! Biiiiiiitch!!!"

_6:15-8:15, Class 2: Important Customs Throughout the Universe, Teacher: Myôga _

"Hello, class," Myôga-sensei, a flea-youkai, hopped up to his seat, fumbling with the overly large pencil on the desk.

"Hello, Myôga-sensei," the class chorused dully. Most of them were already half-asleep.

Kagome and Sango exchanged glances.

"What do we do in PMT today, Sango?" Kagome whispered. PMT stood for Performing Medical Tasks, Kagome's third class, Sango's first.

"Splinting bones," Sango grimaced.

"Ouch," Kagome winced.

"Now, class, what is an important thing to do when meeting with a traveler from Kleptoid?"

Kagome opened her laptop, pretending to scroll through her notes. She didn't have any. Class 2 was easy to ace—simply scare Myôga-sensei out of commission. He disappeared whenever danger was about, and danger always lurked in the air when it came to midterms and finals.

Hmmmm… she nibbled on the tip of her hair absentmindedly—a habit that her mother had given up breaking her of. I wonder why we have to take this class? It's really no use at all. Not many psions _really_ go traveling, anyway. Only the I. W. P. R. and they're not always psions! The galaxy is too dangerous.

"Higurashi!"

"Hai, Myôga-sensei?" Kagome blinked innocently at the flea.

"What are the three fundamental rules you need to remember while visiting Kracknia?"

"Uhhh…" Kracknia, Kracknia…we haven't learned about Kracknia yet! What's he doing asking me this? Let's see, Kracknia is that planet that has two rings, right? Because of its four poles? The people there specialize in…art and dance. They're freethinkers, so… "Always come with an open mind?"

"That's one, not three! Can't you count, girl? I asked for three!"

Sango shot her a sympathetic look while the rest of the class giggled.

"And don't take size for strength?" The people on Kracknia were very short.

"True, true. What about the third one?" Myôga was only slightly pacified, but he was beaming at her now. Okay, okay, you can do this, the third rule is….

"Never wave."

_ Silence. _

_ What? _What's waving got to do with anything? Some gave disbelieving snorts, others laughed outright. Myôga had to hit the desk with a miniature gavel to get the class to quiet down.

When everyone was silent, he said, "Correct, Higurashi. Can you explain why you should never wave?"

"Waving is considered dull in Kracknia. If you want to make a good impression, you don't want to be dull. The people in Kracknia love vibrancy and outgoingness, they adore bright colors and anything that is well done. To wave in Kracknia would get you the scorn of every human there."

"Excellent, excellent. Five extra points for Higurashi for answering the bonus question."

"Whaaaaaat?" the class wailed.

"You never told us it was a bonus question!"

"It wasn't even that hard! Everybody knows about Kracknia! Sensei~!"

"That's unfair!"

"Yeah!"

"Higurashi Kagome's such a suck-up!"

"Hey! Say that again and I'll give a black eye like you've never seen before!" Kagome had to drag Sango down to the floor to prevent her from attacking the girl with the green-dyed hair that had spoken up.

"Silence!" Myôga banged on the desk with his gavel again. He glared at all those present, even Kagome. "Since when did I teach you about Kracknia?"

"Never, Sensei," Sango replied, her voice breathless, face flushed with anger.

"That's correct. I have never taught you lot about Kracknia, and I doubt that if I had you still would have been able to answer the question! Higurashi did an admirable job of explaining why you do not wave in Kracknia, and she could probably tell us why you need to remember those other two rules as well! If you think that is unfair, then why don't you answer another question? Well? Speak up! Ascher! You're a bright young lad, exchange student from the New Colony Srasi, can you answer this question? What are the three kings' names in the New Colony Frasi?"

" Ahh…Kaiser, Millicent, and…" Ascher stuttered to a stop. Frasi and Srasi were sister colonies, placed in the same solar system. Everyone knew the first two Kings, but the third one, having been newly elected, wasn't well known.

"Higurashi?" Myôga nodded at her, indicating for her to answer the question.

Kagome gulped. The whole class was staring at her, mostly willing her to be unable to answer the question. She knew the third king, but was it worth it, earning the animosity of her classmates?

Movement under the table, then a light kick.

"Show'em what you can do, Kagome-chan," Sango whispered, barely moving her lips.

"…Myôga-sensei, the third king of Frasi is…Naraku."

[A/N: I'm really tempted to stop here, but this is a scheduled thing, so I'll go on…]

"Good job. Class dismissed."

Kagome rushed out, not wanting to see her classmates' accusatory glances.

"What a suck-up. Ouch! Hey! Watch--" the green-haired girl gulped. [A/N: I like the sound of that! Green-haired girl gulped, green-haired girl gulped!]

"I told you to shut up." Sango ignored the girl's protests as she swept away after her best friend.

_ 8:15-8:50, Dinner, Supervisor: Kaede A.K.A. Principal of Kyoto Psionics Schools for the Gifted _

"Kagome-chan, ignore what they said. They don't really mean it, you know that," Sango crossed her fingers behind her back.

"…"

"Kagome-chan, please, listen to me! They don't really mean it, you know that!"

"Sango-chan, they—Miroku! Red alert! Red alert!"

Sango leapt up. "Where's the hentai?" she growled, magenta eyes flashing "danger."

"What hentai, Sango-san?" Miroku placed a hand on her shoulder, smiling.

"Kazaana-san…"

"Yes, my dear Sango?"

"Get your hand _away_ from my butt, _now._"

"Why, dear Sango, surely you don't suspect me of doing such a horrible act," Miroku raised his hands innocently, beaming.

"I do, and I'm right!" A hand tapped her shoulder. "What, Kagome-chan?"

"Is 'Higurashi Kagome' who you're referring to? I assure you, I am not her."

Sango turned around, finding no one. "Who…?"

The voice coughed discreetly. "Down here."

Sango glanced down. By her knees was a toad-youkai holding a sort of staff with an two heads placed back to back on it. It was dressed in the maroon robes of a lord from the Sengoku Jidai, or somewhere around there, at the very least.

"How did you tap me on the shoulder?"

"I know how to jump."

"Oh."

"You are 'Taijiya Sango,' no?"

"Yes. What do you want with me?"

"If you could please get 'Higurashi Kagome' and 'Kazaana Miroku,' along with yourself here in five minutes? I assure you that you're not in—"

"Oi, Jaken!" Sango whirled around to see an inu-hanyou with long, silver hair bouncing over, claws and fangs glinting in the sunlight. "What are you doing here? Come to spy for my brother?" He looked angry. Veeeeeeery angry.

"I have better things to do than to look after such an abysmal failure like you! Sesshoumaru-sama specifically sent me here to meet with Higurashi Kagome, Tai—"

"Speaking of Kagome-chan, where is she? She was just here a moment ago," Sango interrupted him, spinning around.

"Higurashi…?" the inu-hanyou's amber eyes narrowed. "You're not talking about a girl about this high," he showed her with his hand above the ground, "black hair down a few inches below her shoulders, and blue-gray eyes, are you?"

"Oh, you know her? Do you know where she is?"

"Damn right I know her! That insufferable bitch…" muttering obscenities to himself, he distractedly raked a claw through his hair, missing his left ear by a mere centimeter. Prowling around and sniffing the air, he set off, hopefully, looking for Kagome.

"He'll find her," disapproval dripped from Jaken's tongue. "He's got a good nose, hanyou though he may be."

"I heard that, you toad!"

"Good ears, too."

Sango nodded distractedly. Miroku took advantage of the distraction by lightly rubbing her butt.

"HENTAI!!!" she spun around and slapped him, suddenly towering fifty feet above him. "HOW DARE YOU TOUCH ME LIKE THAT?"

Miroku crouched down, sweatdropping. Sango could sure get scary when she felt like it. "Uhhhh…"

Luckily (for him), Kagome saved him.

"Sango-chan! Inuyasha says that you wanted me!" she came running towards them, said hanyou being dragged along by her with a rather disgruntled look on his face.

"Oh, good! Where were you?"

"Snack machine. They had lemon drops today," the teenager happily sucked on her treat, a great contrast to the sulking hanyou behind her.

"Is Inuyasha your name?" Sango queried of him.

"Keh! Does it matter?"

Kagome bopped him on the head, though she had to hop to do it. "Be polite, Inuyasha!"

"Since when did you become my mother?" he snarled.

"I'm not your mother! I'm just someone who—"

"Break it up, break it up." Sesshoumaru suddenly grabbed them and hauled them as far apart as he could while still holding onto them. "Now that everyone's here, I can get on with my announcement.

"The four of you have been chosen to join the I.W.P.R., also known as the Inter-World Recon. You have been chosen because of your superior skills in the fighting area, your ability to think on your feet, and also the insane thought that you lot could possibly work well together. I do not dispute with my superiors, however." He looked as if he wanted to. "You will be leaving immediately. The school has already been notified of your absence, if you choose to go, and you need not bring anything with you. Everything you will need will be given to you. Do you choose to go or not?"

"Keh! You already know my answer."

"Ano…I don't know, what about my family?" Sango's face did not voice her worry, but her mouth did. Her voice barely hid a tone of reluctance.

"They will be told of your leaving. You can write to them, if you wish."

"Well, okay. Kagome-chan, you're going to come, too, right? Just think! We're going to be part of the I.W.P.R., like we've always wanted to! Please say yes?"

Kagome's mind was whirling. Her?

_ I don't know. I've heard that the I. W. P. R. kills people when they need to. I've heard all sorts of rumors. If I join, will I become a killer? _

"Kagome, please?"

"I will go, too, as the lovely Sango-chan is as well," Miroku informed them. Inuyasha glanced at him in obvious disgust. Sango froze, but didn't stop pleading with her friend.

_ I've always wanted to become a recon, though…. What if I don't like it? Can I back out of it?_

"Am I allowed to change my mind?"

"Yes. That is, until you get on board. Once you get on board, you're sealing a promise."

"I…"

What did she want? Did she want to stay here, where everybody didn't really like her? She could start over at the I.W.P.R. Everybody was like her there, right? They were all unbearably smart and athletic, she could handle it. Nobody would dislike her because of who she was….

"I'll go."

"Good. Come with me."

"Are we allowed to eat?" Miroku piped up.

An evil smirk popped up onto Sesshoumaru's face. "We don't want you throwing up all over the ship, do we?"

They all froze except for Inuyasha, who had apparently known about this beforehand.

"Keh, what are you all standing there for? Let's go." He sauntered forward. Kagome groaned. They thought she would be able to work well with him?

_8:25-9:00 A.M. Aboard the Spaceship Regalia. Supervisor: Sesshoumaru_

"These are the clothes you will be wearing while training," Sesshoumaru held up a one-piece black suit. "You may choose any color you wish, though conspicuous colors are not advised. Take red, for example." Sesshoumaru glanced pointedly at Inuyasha's red shirt.

"Keh! I'll wear what I want."

"Suit yourself. If you wish for anything, such as pencils, paper, pens, just ask and they will be given to you as long as they are approved of by your superiors. Come to me if you want anything, in other words. Kazaana, no porn."

"Darn it," Miroku snapped his fingers. Sango edged away from him. Their names had been printed on the armrest of the seats they were to sit at, and, sadly, she sat next to the lech while Kagome sat next to Inuyasha [A/N: Do you sense match-making? I do!].

"Buckle your seat belts. You don't want to go flying off when we get free of gravity."

"Keh! I'll stand. I don't want to sit next to the bitch."

Sesshoumaru sighed, then stated dryly, "All right, if you want to go flying off, fine by me."

"Inuyasha, sit." Kagome pointed to the vacant seat next to her.

"No."

"Sit."

"No."

"Why not?"

"I don't wanna sit next to you, bitch!" he snarled at her.

"Y-o-u…!" Kagome envisioned him dropping in a face plant down onto the ground. "Sit!" she snarled.

A rosary snapped into place around his neck, and he plummeted down exactly how Kagome wanted him to.

"Oops…my bad?" she laughed nervously.

"Bitch!"

M.M.: Ok, so that was boring, don't blame me! …actually, blame me. Anyway, it was boring mainly because I had to, er…give you background info? Review, onegai!

Oh, and the disclaimer: No, I do not own Inuyasha. If I did, I would be filthy rich and I could buy all the books in the bookstore that I wanted (not to mention manga), but instead, I am practically broke because I am saving up for Christmas, and soooo…I do not own Inuyasha. This is for the rest of the story, since I'll probably forget now and then.

Question of the day: How did Kagome get him to sit? Whoever gets it totally correct...er...gets something.... Need to think up something....


	2. The Test: Part 1

OK, this is mostly just a humorous interlude, since I have absolutely no idea what to do next. I had a plan, but kinda threw it away.... So, I was basically just winging it here. -.-;;; But it gave me a lot of new ideas for the next chapters. Suggestions are welcome, though, just so you know. I need all the help I can get... Disclaimer: No, Inuyasha does not belong to me. I just freeload him off my friends. ^.^ Aaaah...being able to watch the first 109 episodes without spending a penny is wonderful, don't you think? ^o^  
  
"BITCH!" Inuyasha yelled. "WHAT! Don't call me a bitch, you cat-eared dog!" Kagome yanked on one furry triangle for emphasis. "CAT-EARED?!" "You know, Kagome-chan is righ-ECCHI!" Sango sent a rippling wave of psionics towards the purple-clad boy, effectively knocking him backwards. "But Sango," Miroku protested, eyes glazed, "you were just beckoning to me; the way you sat leaning just slightly forward.... If you would only accept with your mind as well as your heart, you would surely find that I was not at fault for—" "Shut up!" Inuyasha and Miroku glanced at each other. Their eyes mirrored each other in mutual agreement—they would have their way, lecherous or not. For the first time in a long time, they teamed up and attacked. And so the war began.  
  
~*Sesshoumaru*~  
  
Sesshoumaru sighed as he watched the foursome through the cameras. It looked like Inuyasha and Miroku were innocents being used as punching bags, but knowing those two, they probably deserved what they were getting.... Then again, maybe he should intervene before the two girls killed them. It wouldn't do to have two corpses riding on the way to the Second Asteroid Belt. "Rin." "Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama?" A girl the age of six or seven popped up near his knee, beaming. "Please separate Inuyasha and Miroku from Sango and Kagome before anybody gets injured." If they haven't already been ripped apart. "If you wish, you may also put them through a Test." "Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin skipped up the steps, giggling as she hopped up and down from the backlash in one place until she decided to finally use her psion powers to get up. Then she soared—gliding up the tube and into the room. Sesshoumaru settled back to watch the show.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Tadaima!" Rin cried. Inuyasha and Miroku suddenly sat perfectly straight, no evidence of their former mischief hanging around them. Kagome stared, one hand still pinching Inuyasha's twitching right ear. In front of them stood a girl wearing a yellow...yukata? In this century? She shrugged it off as a childish infatuation. A portion of her hair was pulled to one side in a bobbing half-ponytail, and her wide eyes were innocently sparkling. And yet.... She glanced at Inuyasha. He was sitting stock-still, amber eyes staring blankly ahead of him, the model of discipline. Only his furiously twitching ear gave away the fact that he was, in fact, truly alive. Miroku was the same—minus the ear-twitching, of course. "Sesshoumaru-sama told Rin to separate the four of you!" she chirped cheerfully. "And so...!" She swept her arms open, and the seatbelts unbuckled themselves as Inuyasha and Miroku were swept into a pair of doors that had somehow swept open, and Kagome and Sango into a different set of doors. Snapping her fingers, she chortled with glee as the doors shut. "Sesshoumaru-sama told Rin that she could give you a Test," she informed them right before the doors molded back into the wall. Laughing softly to herself, she floated back down. She really, really liked them—maybe she could play with them? I'll go ask Sesshoumaru-sama.  
  
~*Kagome*~  
  
"Test?" Kagome echoed, looking around uneasily. As if in answer, light began filtering in the room, gathering at one point near the left...wall? It seemed like it. "What are we supposed to do?" The room looked huge, but Kagome's voice didn't echo; instead, it sounded muffled, dampened. "I don't know...." Sango's calm voice stated, seemingly calm, though her magenta eyes were darting back and forth as if in panic. Gradually, their eyes began to adjust, and more and more light came in by the second, though the left side was always brighter than the rest. "Hey, what's that?" Kagome whispered to Sango, pointing. Dark shapes—blurs, more like—were forming right where the light was brightest. Then, without warning, they struck.  
  
~*Miroku*~  
  
"Test." Inuyasha's voice was flat. "Another test." "Well, she is fond of them," Miroku muttered ruefully. "Probably her only fault." "Can't believe I once said she was an OK kid," Inuyasha hissed, amber eyes boring a hole into the general direction of where they'd last seen Rin. "You said that?" Miroku was mildly surprised. Rin was a good kid, surprisingly enough, and even Sesshoumaru seemed to go softer on her than others, but Inuyasha? "Hey, she cooked me ramen. What else could I say?" He sighed. Getting to Inuyasha's heart wasn't hard as long as you knew what his stomach loved. "What do you think she's doing this time?" "She never does anything old, Inuyasha," Miroku reminded him dryly. "Last time it was giant teddy bears. Before that, giant worms. Before that, giant broccoli and asparagus." She likes things big, apparently. Inuyasha shuddered. Now that had been a nightmare. For Inuyasha, of course. The hanyou didn't mind vegetables, but when those vegetables began screaming, "Eat me!" and running around, that was when he got disturbed. Worse, they had begun to multiply until they filled the room and they had to eat them to be able to survive. The catch was that it was Fasting Day, a day when all youkai were all required to go without food in order to build up their youki or something like that. Pointless. It wasn't as if he hadn't emerged unscarred, either. Since Inuyasha was going through Fasting Day, he couldn't eat, and had passed the role onto him.... In short, Inuyasha had had to do whatever whenever Miroku wanted for the next month. Aaaah...now that was a good month. Having an uncouth hanyou by your side made you seem more chivalrous and attractive—at least to the girls. "Looks like we don't have to wait anymore," Inuyasha interrupted his musings. What has she planned this time? Ah. Giant beads.  
  
~*Sango*~  
  
Sango barely had time to duck when a large black something flew over her head. She heard a loud thump! behind her as whatever-it-was landed. Painfully, if I'd have my way. Ahead of her, she heard Kagome gasp. "I-I don't believe it..." she was muttering. Her voice was shocked and bewildered. "What kind of test is this?" she cried. "Kagome-chan, what is it?" Sango rushed to her friend's side. She was kneeling on the floor, running her hands over a giant box. Upon seeing what it was, she froze and read and re-read the bold, colorful lettering on top. Painting Kit: Ages 10 and Up "Well, she is pretty young," Sango volunteered. "She looks like she's about six. It says ages ten and up." Well... "Maybe she didn't want us to play with watercolors." Kagome ignored her. "What are we supposed to do?" And then the Painting Kit (Ages 10 and Up) answered her.  
  
~*Inuyasha*~  
  
Inuyasha swore as he dodged one rampaging, black bead with blue-swirls and silver glitter that he could tell just wanted to rip him apart. There was blood-lust in those glitter pieces, all right. "Inuyasha, if you would please stop moving around and getting in the way of the beads," Miroku's amused voice interrupted him. "What?" The injustice of it all. "That bead was clearly trying to—" "Steal your soul?" "They can do that?" Miroku sighed. "Look." Inuyasha glanced at the beads. Now they were shooting out strings that were attaching to each other and forming a pattern. "So?" "Inuyasha, when will you learn? Watch." Sulking, Inuyasha sat Indian-style on the ground, his Tessaiga lightly balanced against one shoulder, watching as the brightly colored beads danced along the floor, warily keeping an eye on that black-and-blue striped one with silver glitter. Just in case.  
  
~*Sesshoumaru*~  
  
Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes. "Idiot brother," he muttered. "Sesshoumaru-sama?" "Hai, Rin?" "Jaken-sama said that it wasn't nice to call someone an idiot, Sesshoumaru- sama." Rin folded her hands in her lap and nodded knowingly. "All right, Rin. This Sesshoumaru will not call the hanyou an idiot. After all, that is too big a compliment to pay." Delinquent would fit better. Rin beamed. "Does Sesshoumaru-sama like Rin's new Test?" Rin chirped. "The beads are a nice touch," Sesshoumaru replied thoughtfully. "However, I don't believe you should have given Sango and Kagome the painting kit." "But I had to give it to them, Sesshoumaru-sama." Rin's eyes were downcast, and a small, sad smile graced her lips. "They aren't skilled enough yet to do it themselves." Sesshoumaru watched impassively as Rin buried herself in his tail. True, Rin. Very true.  
  
~*Kagome*~  
  
"Right...so we're just supposed to paint?" Kagome asked skeptically, eying the paintbrush in her hand. It was overly large, and would require two hands to actually paint. Kiddie paint and large paintbrushes? It doesn't fit. "Apparently." Sango waved a hand towards the box. Paint, It said. Sighing, Kagome grabbed the lid of one huge container of paint and yanked it open. A brilliant amber burst out, nearly spraying her. Amber, she thought, slightly disgusted. The mere thought of anything that reminded her of that jerk was maddening. Sango smirked at the glare Kagome sent the amber paint. "Does it remind you of anyone?" she teased. "Shut up," Kagome growled. Hefting up the paintbrush, she was about to open another container, when she felt a pulse. "Sango, did you feel that?" "Feel what?" She shook it off. Must've been her imagination. Sango walked over to the amber paint. "Well, if you're not gonna use this, then I am. Amber's a pretty color." Kagome stared. How can anyone associate a color that...that jerk has as pretty, I don't know. She dipped her pink-handled brush into the amber paint, brought it out doused with the liquid, and paused. "Uhhh...Kagome-chan? Where do we paint?" Sango sweatdropped. "I dunno," she shrugged. "Anywhere, I guess." "OK...in that case, you take that side of the room," Sango motioned with her free hand towards the left. "I'm taking this side." Kagome nodded her ascent, and watched Sango, not feeling like painting anything. Swiveling on one foot, Sango hummed as she began painting with large flourishes. She had only covered a few feet when she was brought to an abrupt stop. "What?" she muttered, pressing a hand to the paint-laden brush. "There's paint on this, that's for sure, but it's not going on the floor." Bringing up one finger, she found not a single trace of paint on it. "That girl—Rin—must be a very powerful psion," Kagome murmured, awestruck. "This isn't natural paint." "No..." Sango shook her head. "It's not even paint. Not what we know, anyway. Father told me about this once—it's called Heart's Blood. He never said what properties it had, though, but warned me that it could only be made by the most powerful of psions." "How many?" We should've heard of her if she was this powerful. "What?" Sango started. "How many psions are this powerful?" Kagome tapped the tip of the brush, ignoring the sticky feel of the paint. "Your dad loves statistics, he should know." "He said...three people per planet, at most." Impossible...who is this girl? Golden paint slowly sunk into pink flesh, tracing a pathway through the veins to the gray-blue-eyed girl's heart.  
  
~*Miroku*~  
  
"So, what does it say?" Inuyasha barked impatiently. "You can read, can't you?" Miroku answered mildly. Why do I even bother? "Too lazy," he grunted. "It doesn't say anything." 3...2...1... "WHAT?!" Inuyasha leapt to his feet. "So we've been waiting here doing nothing?" "It's not like it affects us in any way," Miroku informed him dryly. "There could be a time limit on it! Like that time with the teddy bears." Inuyasha shuddered. That had been a particularly unpleasant time for him. Snicker. Of course, it would take a long time for Inuyasha to consent to play with a teddy bear. He failed that test. Miroku himself had, of course, thrown all dignity aside and began playing Tea with the teddy bears while Inuyasha had merely glowered at the bears, as if they were a threat to his life. "Knowing Rin," Miroku walked over to the same bead that had been harassing Inuyasha, "we will probably have to ask the beads." "Ask them." "What? You want me to ask them?" "Who else?" "How about you?" "No way! As if I'd consent to—watch it, bouzu!" It was an accident, Inuyasha. Truly. My staff just slipped and fell on your head, while my ofudas just happened to drop out from my sleeve and onto your ears, which just happen to be your most sensitive spot. "Inuyasha, I am so glad that you have volunteered to ask the beads what to do," Miroku thanked him in his most sincere voice. Huffing, Inuyasha braced himself and stalked over to a stormy-gray colored bead. It looked nicer than the other one.... Me: 2, Inuyasha: 0.  
  
~*Sango*~  
  
Well, since it looks like I won't be able to paint with this, I won't, Sango decided. "Here, Kagome-chan. Why don't you try using this brush and seeing if the paint will work for you?" Sango suggested, holding out the brush. "All right..." Kagome held her hands out, dropping her own brush with a clatter. When their fingers met, however, they were thrown apart to opposite sides of the room, and an angry crackling began filling the air. "What's happening?" Sango shouted, moving immediately into a defensive position. "I don't know," Kagome replied softly, barely heard by her own ears. Warily, she crouched forward and grabbed her blue-colored brush—and the noise stopped. "It looks like," Sango began, then stopped, meeting Kagome's eyes unsurely, as if afraid to speak the next words. "Like the brushes are meant for us alone," Kagome finished, fear and awe filling her eyes. But...something like this...something this personal, and so attuned to us, is only supposed to be able to be done by people who know us inside and out, from the depths of our inner hearts to the façades we show to other people...! "Sango-chan," Kagome implored. "Kagome-chan?" She looks so scared. A pause. "It's nothing...Sango-chan." She turned away. I know what words you were going to say. "I'm afraid." But...Higurashis do not admit weaknesses, do they?  
  
~*Inuyasha*~  
  
"So, let me get this straight," Inuyasha said to the bead. "We're supposed to ride on top of you and you will lead us to the girls, who will be painting and what you want us to do is decorate what they're painting with the beads. Is that it?" The bead rearranged its golden sparkles to say Yes. "Not doing it." No way in hell. "Ow! Bouzu, watch it!" Inuyasha rubbed his head, glaring furiously. "Have you forgotten that Rin could keep us here as long as she wants?" Miroku queried, eyes narrowed. "Do you or do you not remember the giant worms?" Oh. The worms. Well.... "Keh!" "Let's get on, then." Miroku lightly hopped on the lead bead of one string. Grumbling, Inuyasha followed him.  
  
A/N: A little shorter than usual (mainly because I wanted to get it out before you guys killed me. -.-;;;), and also in a different format! I'll be experimenting with the things that I like in here, so bear with me. Every chapter will probably be a little different in format and things like that. ^.^;;; 


End file.
